Animal trap



O. MESWARB Oct.v 15, 1940.

ANIMAL TRAP Fild Jan. 22, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 15, 1940. '0. MEswARB 2,218,289

" ANIMAL TRAP A Filed Jan. 22, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet? r'\ RS l Patented Oct. 15, 1940 ANIMAL'rRAr I This invention relates to animal traps, and particularly totraps rfor catching rats, although obviously it is 'available for any trapping if the proportions are such as to holdthe animal `to befrapped-A c It is an object of this invention to provide a trap which is held in certainposition while the animal is entering theA trap and in which the holding means isf moved'by theweight of the v animal as it approaches the food or while he is eating; novel means being provided for retracting the retaining means to reset the trap after the animal has left a baiting compartment of the trap.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a treadle or platform oscillatably mounted, on which the animal must move to a position for eating the bait, and the arrangement is such that when released the trapping compartment moves downwardly so that when the animal attempts to escape in a direction opposite to that in which he approached the food, his weight will be increasingly effective to force the trapping compartment downwardly in the bin or cage into which he escapes from the trapping compartment; means being provided for restoring the trapping compartment to its operative position and retaining it in that position for a repetition of the operation.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a cage or compartment in which the animal is deposited from the trapping compartment and which cage preferably has an opening in its rear end with which a tunnel communicates, through which the animal travels to compartment or to compartments where they may assemble externally of the trap until such time as they are to be destroyed or removed therefrom. The trap may, under certain conditions, be constructed without the tunnel and its accompanying parts, in which event the rear wall would be without the opening and the animals would be collected in the first mentioned cage until such time as they were destroyed or removed therefrom.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a trap of the character indicated which will be comparatively inexpensive, as Well as ecient and satisfactory in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will befhadto vthe accompanying *drawingsrforming-part of thilsh'application, wherein like characters denotejfcorresponding parts` in thevseveral views, 4and in which;`

Figure 1 illustrate'sfa/ view in side elevation of Figure "4 illustrates.aAk longitudinal 'sectional view of the trap; and

Figure 5 illustrates a plan View thereof.

In these drawings I0 denotes a rectangular cage which may be of any appropriate construction, although it is here shown as having wire mesh sides H and a front end I2, the rear end I3 being of any appropriate construction, but here shown as of a board-like structure, having the opening klli With which the tunnel l5 communicates. y

A platform I6 is oscillatably mounted on a trunnion l1 which, in this illustration, rests on open bearings Ha on j the. top I8 of the cage. The said top I8 does not extend over the entire length of the cage but-is open in part to permit the movement therein of the trapping compartment, generally identified by the numeral I9. The rear end oftheA platform is slotted as at 20 to receive the stem 2l of the Weight 22 which returns the platform to the position in which it is shown in full lines, Fig. 4after it hasbeen oscillated or moved by the animal to the dotted line position in said gure when it escapes from the trapping compartment.

A bait holding bracket or anchor 23 is attached to the rear end' 24 ofthe trapping compartment, and a treadle or platform 25 is oscillatably mounted on a pivot or trunnion 26 so that when the animal steps on the treadle or platform it is depressed by` his weight. The upward movement of this treadle or platform is limited by the stud or nail 214 anchored to the platform and the treadle has a slot 28 as a clearance so that it can move with respect to the stud. An arm 29 is secured to the said treadle and the said arm carries a `pivot 30. The arm operates a latch or pin 3| connected to the pivot 30 and the latch or pin projects at the front end of the said trapping compartment and is lodged in a seat or recess 32 of the frame member 33 which is a stationary part of the cage. It is intended that the latch shall be withdrawn from its seat when the treadle 25 is moved downwardly under the Weight of the animal, thus releasing the trapping compartment and permitting itto oscillate or move downwardly into the cage and from this trapping compartment the animal es capes into the cage. When his weight is removed from the trapping compartment, the'platform is returned to its normal position under the innuence of the weight 22. As the trapping compartment rises, the end of the latch engages the camming plate 34 and this retracts the said latch so that the trap is automatically reset when the end of the latch enters the seat 32 and a repetition of the operation mayv ensue without any manual resetting or attention. l

The tunnel l has a gate 35 oscillatably mounted therein and it is intended to open only in one direction, as shown by dotted lines. It is prevented from moving in the opposite direction by a pin or other arresting device 36, and hence the animals can only escape through thetunnel in the direction of the compartments 3l and 38 in which .they'f collect and in which theymay'be destroyedfby: connecting the exhaust pipe ofan automobile to the compartments a condition which will result in their being killed by'carbon monoxide, although of course other AmeansV may be provided for disposing ofthe animals;

- The compartments mayf have a door 39orthe like toy permit the removal of the animals, lbut this ofcourse is an immaterial detail which may be variously modified.. f

While, the bearings Ila areshown as open bearings, other mountings may be provided for .downwardly into the cage for dislodging the animal therefrom into the cage, a bait holding -member in the trapping compartment, a movable treadle in said trapping compartment, a latch for holding the trapping compartment in operative position, means for connecting the treadle and latch whereby movement of the treadle retracts the latch and releases the trapping compartment, means for returning the trapping compartmenttoits-*normal position,` the said frame havingl a latchseat,v a camming plate secured` to the frame andv'depending into the cage in the path of travel of the end of the latch and operative to retract the latch during the last mentioned-movement of the trapping compartment, a tunnel4 in communication with the cage, and animal holding compartments communicating with the tunnel.

o'rro MESWARB. 

